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Total War: Warhammer II cover art
CrossOver

How to play Total War: Warhammer II on Mac

Strategy · 2017

Plays smoothly through CrossOver on Apple Silicon.

Overall rating: Not enough votes yet

Your setup
Detect your Mac to see whether Total War: Warhammer II will run.

Plays smoothly through CrossOver on Apple Silicon.

How to run Total War: Warhammer II on your Mac in 2026

Best path: Parallels

Should run in a Windows 11 ARM virtual machine (Parallels). This is an estimate — not a verified report. Demanding 3D titles may need lower settings.

  • Heads up on Parallels: Estimated compatibility — no verified report yet
MethodQualityDifficultyCost
ParallelsPickGoodMedium$99/yrGet it ↗
BoosteroidEstimateEasy$9.95 /moGet it ↗

Total War: Warhammer II

This grand strategy epic blends turn-based empire management with real-time tactical battles across the vibrant fantasy world of Warhammer. Build vast armies, conquer legendary landmarks, and unleash powerful magic in a rich campaign of conquest.

Total War: Warhammer II runs on Mac through CrossOver, a Windows compatibility layer that translates DirectX calls into Metal on Apple Silicon.

What the world thinks

Performance

How Total War: Warhammer II runs on your Mac, from our performance model and player reports.

See exactly how Total War: Warhammer II will run on your Mac

Pick your chip and RAM for a personalised estimate.

Best way to play it on Mac

Total War: Warhammer II runs on Mac through CrossOver, a Windows compatibility layer that translates DirectX calls into Metal on Apple Silicon.

See if this is the right method for your setup

Ways to play Total War: Warhammer II on Mac

Here are all the options available, ranked by what we recommend first.

Compare methods at a glance

Lower = better

How each supported method stacks up on setup effort, time and runtime overhead.

  • ParallelsVMTop pick
    Setup
    Moderate
    Time
    30 min
    Overhead
    High
  • BoosteroidCloud
    Setup
    Simple
    Time
    5 min
    Overhead
    Low

Where to buy Total War: Warhammer II

Live prices compared across trusted PC key sellers — updates every few hours.

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Step-by-step setup guides

Idiot-proof walkthroughs for every method.

How to run Total War: Warhammer II on Mac with Parallels

Estimate· Compatibility

Using Parallels to play Total War: Warhammer II means running a full copy of Windows 11 ARM inside macOS. This is the most "it just works" approach for games that don't behave under CrossOver, and DirectX 11 is hardware-accelerated. You'll need a Windows license and roughly 80 GB of disk space.

Step-by-step

  1. Buy / start a trial of Parallels Desktop.
  2. Install Windows 11 ARM via the one-click wizard.
  3. Inside Windows, install Steam / Xbox app and Total War: Warhammer II.
  4. Enable DirectX 11 in Parallels settings for best 3D performance.

Video proof

Try Parallels Desktop freeAffiliate link — supports the site at no extra cost.

How to run Total War: Warhammer II on Mac with Boosteroid

Estimate· Streaming

Streaming Total War: Warhammer II through Boosteroid is the fastest way to start playing on a Mac — there's nothing to install, no Windows VM, no compatibility layer. The game runs on a remote GPU and your Mac just receives the video, which means even a base M1 MacBook Air can play the most demanding AAA titles at high settings. The tradeoff is that you need a stable internet connection (ideally wired or 5GHz Wi-Fi with 25+ Mbps down) and a subscription.

Step-by-step

  1. Create a Boosteroid account and pick a plan.
  2. Use the web client or download the macOS app.
  3. Add Total War: Warhammer II from their library (you'll need to own it on Steam/Epic).

Video proof

Get BoosteroidAffiliate link — supports the site at no extra cost.

Our recommendation

For most Mac players we recommend Parallels as the fastest, smoothest way to play Total War: Warhammer II. Full Windows 11 ARM inside macOS.

MethodQualityDifficultyCost
ParallelsPickGoodMedium$99/year + Windows licence
BoosteroidEstimateEasy$9.95 / month
Try Parallels Desktop free

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